The present invention relates to a personal hand-held massaging device and more particularly to a hand-held combination vibratory/percussive massager having a pair of adjustable width percussion massage nodes, the adjustment for width thereof being controlled by an opposing flat vibratory massage head, and independent controls for setting the levels of the vibration of the massaging elements.
Hand-held vibrating massagers are well known in the art. Such massagers include a handle attached to a vibratory massaging head and driven by an electric motor with limited adjustment for intensity of the vibration. Also known in the art are hand-held percussive massagers, typically having a pair of percussion massage nodes. The heads or nodes of these conventional massagers are in a fixed location in the massager. Thus, while providing a vibratory sensation they are limited in ability to adjust to the various contours of a person""s anatomy, for example, the neck, shoulders, arms and legs, thereby limiting the point of contact of the massage to a pre-set spacing. Moreover, conventional hand-held massagers typically provide either vibratory or percussive massage, but not both. Thus, the consumer is forced to purchase two devices in order to enjoy both types of massage.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a hand-held massager having both vibratory and percussive massage capabilities and including a vibratory massage head, and a pair of percussive massage nodes suitable to deliver an effective therapeutic massage to the various contours of the body. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, the percussive massage nodes are adjustable in width using an adjustment mechanism, which can be manually or automatically engaged. In another and preferred embodiment, the massager includes an elongated contoured handle, a control panel including an on-off switch and power setting switch, a first massaging element comprising a generally flat rounded massage head for localized vibrational massage, and a second massaging element comprising a pair of percussion massage nodes, which are adjustable width-wise. Preferably, the percussion massage nodes are semi-spherical in shape, and width adjustment between the percussion massage nodes is made by turning the opposing flat massage head which is connected to a shaft driving a rack and pinion mechanism connected to a screw drive, or worm and roller type device, which causes the nodes to move laterally in relation to each other.
The source of vibration and percussion is provided through unbalanced eccentric cams attached to the shaft of a single rotary electric motor carried in the massager. In operation the drive shaft rotates the unbalanced eccentric cams on both sides thereby providing reciprocating percussion movement to the percussive massage nodes. In an alternate embodiment, the cams corresponding to each of the massage nodes are also adjustable so that the positions of the cams may be in phase, causing the massage nodes to move simultaneously, out of phase, causing the massage nodes to move reciprocally, or any setting thereinbetween to vary the vibratory effect. The reciprocating percussion movement of the eccentric cams also causes a generalized vibration of the single massage head. In yet another embodiment of the invention, two separate motors, which may be rotational or linear, e.g. solenoids, may be employed for creating in-phase/out-of-phase vibrating action.
In a particularly preferred embodiment, independent controls for setting the speed of the motor, the levels of the vibration of the vibratory and percussive massaging elements and for power, preferably in the form of touch sensitive buttons maintained beneath a thin rubber-like membrane, are mounted on the handle of the massager. The thin membrane covers the individual buttons thereby preventing introduction of powders, fluids, oils or the like, into the switches while allowing independent setting of the controls.